The MARK IV armor, the ability to wear all shoulders on all cores, and much more arrive for free that same day!
Halo Infinite
Operation: Spirit of Fire
The MARK IV armor, the ability to wear all shoulders on all cores, and much more arrive for free that same day!
Forge Overview | CU29
Ever since Halo Infinite’s Forge arrived, we have been continually blown away by the creativity of the community-made maps, modes, and experiences that have been crafted. Our goal is to continue supporting Halo’s community cartographers as much as possible, and CU29 aims to deliver some of the most highly requested features—new toys and enhanced tools that will help to further unlock and unleash Forgers’ creative potential.
CU29 brings with it the addition of the Covenant object palette, the new Mode Creator feature, AI Toolkit enhancements, along with additional quality of life updates, and more!
Read on below to learn more about the latest update to Forge, and check out some of it in action from our stream last week.
Covenant Dance
“When we joined the Covenant, we took an oath…”
Since Forge’s arrival in Halo Infinite, we’ve continued to build on making the object palettes and aesthetics of the Halo universe available to the player—from the UNSC, to the Forerunners, to the Banished… and now, CU29 will update that list once more with some fashionable purple pieces.
The Covenant palette is coming to Halo Infinite!
Over 70 new structures pieces, primitives, accents, and decals will be available for Forgers to create exciting experiences that harken back to Halo’s roots. Let’s take a look at some pretty pictures of those objects…
Forge Mode Creator
The Forge Mode Creator is a new functionality that lets players script modes in the Node Graph, then save, share, and play those experiences—just like you’d share a mode created in the Custom Game menu.
Our goal with the Forge Mode Creator was threefold:
- Make it easier for modes to be shared and played
- Make it easier for modes to hook up to community maps (and vice-versa)
- Free up map budget, as mode logic will no longer come with a map budget cost
We have created new assets in Forge to enable this: the Mode Brain and Mode Prefab.
Mode Brain
Similar to a Script Brain, but this is specifically used for Forge Modes. This can be accessed in the Scripting section of the Object BrowserMode Prefab
A Prefab dedicated to holding Mode BrainsMode Brain
Here’s how the Forge Mode Creator works:
- Create a Mode Prefab Out of Mode Brains: To create a Forge Mode, the first thing players should do is place two or more Mode Brains and then create their mode in Node Graph with them—players will need to create a Mode Prefab out of the Mode Brains that contain the scripting for your mode. With multiple Mode Brains selected, bring up the Action Menu and select “CREATE MODE PREFAB.”
Mode Prefabs function similarly to object prefabs, but these can only consist of Mode Brains. Conversely, regular object prefabs cannot use Mode Brains. - Mode Prefab Settings: You can cycle the parent Mode Brain in the Object Properties menu after selecting a Mode Prefab. Since the Node Graph loads the parent Mode Brain when going into it with a Mode Prefab selected, this will allow you to control which Mode Brain scripts you want to edit after you have created a Mode Prefab.
The Mode Variant value is important as it tells the game if you want to create a mode based on existing official mode logic or want to build all the logic from scratch by selecting Minigame.
- How to Save Mode Prefab to My Files: After creating a Mode Prefab, there is one more step to actually create the Forge Mode. With the Mode Prefab selected, open the Action Menu and select “SAVE MODE PREFAB.”
Saving a Mode Prefab does two things:- Saves the Mode Prefab (the Mode Brains)
Saved Mode Prefabs can be found in the Object Browser – Modes category, where you can place them in a map and then edit in the Node Graph.
- Saves a Forge Mode based on the logic in the Mode Prefab’s Mode Brains
Saved Forge Modes can be found in My Files and the Custom Game Editor Mode List. After saving a Forge Mode, you can then publish and/or play your Forge Mode.
NOTE: If you want to create a NEW Mode Prefab from an existing Mode Prefab, break apart the Mode Prefab FIRST and then create a new Mode Prefab from the ungrouped Mode Prefab. Ungrouping a Mode Prefab breaks its connection to the saved Forge Mode and Mode Prefab.
With this approach to mode creation, we can’t wait to see what the community is going to create with this new addition to Forge!
Material Swap
Another highly requested feature from the community is material swapping for foliage and decals, which is another improvement added to Forge in CU29.
Foliage
Players will be able to adjust up to three colors on select foliage objects to add a greater variety of visual flair for their creative vision.
Decals
Players will be able to mimic stains, foliage overgrowth, and other forms of discoloration to add more set dressing to their creations.
Halo Infinite Material Swaps
This opens up even more artistic options for Forgers when adding layers of detail to a map.
Forge AI Toolkit
The Forge AI Toolkit made its debut with Season 5, and in CU29 we are continuing to update and enhance this feature to help build the best experiences possible with Halo Infinite’s AI units.
New Squad Behavior – Wander When Idle
Wander When Idle is a new squad behavior available on the AI Spawner object. When set to ON, AI units in this spawned squad will wander around their assigned AI Move Zone when idle, which will make them seem a bit livelier.
I don’t know about you, but I could spend hours watching Grunts waddle around!
New AI Trait Nodes
Players will have the ability to give AI units certain traits which can help to spice up those campaign-style and PvE experiences you have been building.
AI Traits include:
- Bonus Health
- Bottomless Clip
- Damage Resistance
- Health Recharge
- Movement Speed
- Movement Speed With Turret
- Prevent Weapon Firing
- Vampirism
- Weapon Damage
Quality of Life Improvements
Improvements to single axis selection on both the scale and transform widgets
It’s now easier to grab a selection axis of the movement and scaling widgets when using a mouse
Added "On Player Infected" node to Node Graph
This event node fires when a player is infected and returns both who got infected and who did the infecting
Added “On Repair Field Heal” node to Node Graph
This event node fires when a player or object is repaired. Returns the Repair Field Object, Healed Object, Healed Amount, and Full Regen Completed
Added Infected Energy Sword and Mythic Sandwich as weapons
Some weapons are just too powerful, too terrible, and indeed too delicious to even contemplate letting folks use them. The Mythic Sandwich in the wrong hands could spell doom for the entire galaxy, a weapon more devastating than the Halo Array itself… but do you know what these are? The wrong hands!
The Infected Energy Sword and Mythic Sandwich will be available in the power spawner, weapon pads, weapon trunks, and as individually placed weapon objects.
Future Forge Updates
As we have said, we are committed to the continued improvement of Forge and we’ve got more to come on that front this year. Of course, we can’t just tease you like that and stay quiet—how uncivilized that would be!
Coming in future Halo Infinite updates will be a Flood-themed palette and an alien-themed palette for you to play around with. Let’s take a look!
That brings us to the end of this Forge Overview for CU29, which is just days away from launch on January 30!
We can’t wait to see what you make this year. We’re coming up on almost thirty issues of Forge Features, which has showcased and spotlighted what is ultimately just a tiny fraction of what you’ve been building—so don’t forget to share your maps by tagging them with “343ask” in-game.
Happy Forging, we’ll see you next week!
For more on CU29 of Halo Infinite, check out our other blogs:
- LIVESTREAM RECAP – Catch up on our livestream about all things Halo Infinite in 2024
- MAP OVERVIEW – Take a guided tour of Illusion, the new Arena map coming in CU29
- CUSTOMIZATION OVERVIEW – Get a closer look at the Mark IV Armor Core, customization improvements, and upcoming Operations
Illusion Map Overview | CU29
Illusion takes place within an abandoned and forgotten ONI black site where old experiments with recovered (and familiar) Covenant technology still remain, evoking the feeling and design of maps from Halo: Combat Evolved. Let’s take a look...
We’re joined by multiplayer designer Cliff Schuldt to delve into the depths of this abandoned facility and explore how it came together.
Halo Infinite’s latest update brings an awesome new map to the game—Illusion. What can you tell us about it?
This map is really a love letter to the map design of Halo: Combat Evolved, where every map in that game has a kind of unique element to it—whether that’s in the layout, the location, and so on. Illusion is set at an ONI black site facility, and we really wanted to give it a unique hook to give it a strong sense of identity.
The main point of interest in this map is that its middle section has an active camouflage effect, so players who go into the center will turn invisible—we originally played around with having that area obscured by lots of smoke, but impacting the player’s vision in such a way just didn’t really translate to a fun time in gameplay.
Once we transitioned to the active camo hallway, the lore of the map really grew out of that. On one side of the map, you’ll see an active camo pyramid from Halo: CE and Halo 2 which is hooked up to still-functioning machinery, a remnant of ONI’s attempts to reverse engineer its effects. On the other side of the map, there’s an overshield cube also hooked up to the ONI machines, but that side is damaged and inactive with error messages.
Just as the Season 5 map Prism tells a story about the crystals being mined on Suban for the Needler, Illusion really showcases the secret experiments ONI was conducting around these power-ups from Halo: CE and Halo 2. It shows how this Covenant technology transitioned to the form it takes as portable equipment, which we see in how the camo and overshield modules appear in Halo 5 and Halo Infinite.
What are some of the unique features and locations of this map?
The camo hallway is the central feature, which harkens back to some of that Halo: CE design philosophy. And the ONI aesthetic, too, is something that feels unique. We have felt the “UNSC fatigue” as well at times, but—like with Cliffhanger in Season 3—there are some really cool new visual and design elements that ONI has which breaks away a bit from the more straightforwardly industrial design of the UNSC. This looks and feels like an abandoned and forgotten black site, the past is buried here.
The way we think of this map is that it has “roles” you can take on to suit your kind of playstyle. Do you want to be the person who ventures into the camo hallway to try to take advantage of the center of the map, or are you somebody who prefers to hang back and be the spotter for the team if an enemy is encroaching on your base while you play defense with the sniper? Those long-range plays can really swing the direction of a match. And you can play offensively, going around the side areas of the map or using kinetic launchers to get the jump on the enemy team.
What modes play well with this map?
This map was originally designed with CTF in mind. As a bit of a peek behind the curtain: maps are typically built with a particular mode in mind, and usually you can get a couple of modes that work well... but Illusion ended up surprising us because every mode we tested on it felt like it could have been the “origin mode” for the map.
Strongholds, King of the Hill, and Extraction were modes we particularly loved playing on this, zone control modes in general really brought out that depth in gameplay I mentioned earlier. But Oddball might have been one of my personal favorites—the camo hallway adds a whole new dynamic to how you play. If you take the Oddball into the camo hallway, you run a risky gambit of putting yourself in a vulnerable position but you’re also able to bait the enemy team if your own team is on top of their game.
And Infection... I think people are going to have a good time with that mode on Illusion. Lots of jumpscares!
I remember when you first showed me this map and I literally said “This feels like a map straight out of Halo: CE,” which you then said was very much the intent!
I’ve been a fan of the series since Halo: CE. We used to have LAN parties every weekend with over thirty people coming over, epic high school rivalries emerged from these experiences, and we really carried that feeling through to Illusion as a love letter to the game that started it all.
That’s in the design as well. Like I said about the difference between the “traditional” UNSC aesthetic and what ONI brings to the table, you have more of an eerie vibe to this abandoned space, brutalist designs with those unnaturally tall hallways, this pervading sense that your eyes might be playing tricks on you as you wonder what mysteries were buried here...
And then, in a gameplay sense, there’s a healthy verticality to it as well. Halo: CE had a lot of that when you look at maps like Prisoner, Hang ‘em High, Damnation, Chill Out, and so on. Those all had these strong characteristics, unique hooks in visuals and gameplay (especially when you think of mind-bending maps like Chiron TL-34!)
Do you think Illusion is a map geared towards a particular kind of Halo player?
During testing, one person actually said that they were having a good time on Illusion even though their team was losing! This is not a common response to that kind of situation, but hearing it was great because we want players to enjoy what they are experiencing. Winning is fun, but playing should feel fun.
Illusion is designed for both social and competitive play, we hope that every type of Halo player will find elements of this map that really grab them. It’s super rewarding when you find someone in the camo hallway and take them down with that feeling of “I got you!”, and on the other side of it you feel empowered as a player when you get to be invisible—there's just something about being stealthy and sneaky which adds a lot of fun, but it’s in a controlled area so you have to think about your positioning.
We wanted players to think about this map differently when they’re in those heat of the moment situations and make interesting choices with plentiful opportunities for risky gambits and exciting counter-plays.
We’re quite accustomed to there being fun Easter eggs on new Halo Infinite maps at this point, are there any that players should look out for on Illusion?
Every time people started exploring, we would hear “Oh, cool!” There are lots of little things we put in there that really felt like we were celebrating Halo, remembering our time with the series.
There’s a break room with some fun memorabilia. Let’s say that there are also some more... colorful elements that may prove to be key to discovering something...
And the location of this map is a bit of an Easter egg in itself, as it’s actually underneath another map in the game.
Thank you for joining us again, Cliff—it's always a joy to talk about map design and fun Halo memories with you! Do you have any parting words to share?
It’s been over twenty-two years since Halo: CE released and we are still so excited about leaning into the original DNA of that game’s design—strong identities, approachable depth, and great fun!
That’s really the heart and soul of the team’s love and passion for Halo. We’re all fans, we want to build maps which facilitate players getting to share their crazy moments at the water cooler, whether you’re just running around with your friends and punching each other or if you’re sweating with the team.
It’s been a huge honor to work on this game, but the blessing I didn’t expect was all about the people—from art, design, sandbox, community, and beyond. Getting to work with so many kind and passionate folks who deeply care about what they’re creating has been amazing, and it's been such a privilege to share these things with the fans. We hope you enjoy the map, and (as always) can’t wait to see the gameplay clips you share online!
For more on CU29, stay tuned for the following blogs to come:
- CU29 OVERVIEW – Catch up on our January 19 community livestream which outlines the content coming in CU29 and our approach to Halo Infinite going forwards this year
- FORGE OVERVIEW – Learn more about the new features and improvements coming to Forge, including the Covenant palette, Mode Creator, and more
- CUSTOMIZATION OVERVIEW – Get a closer look at the Mark IV Armor Core, customization improvements, and upcoming Operations
Community Livestream Recap | CU29
If you missed the stream, we highly recommend giving it a watch to get up to speed on what you can expect with Infinite’s next update, how the studio is approaching the game going forward, a few longer lead features in active development, and what’s cooking for HCS.
Content Update 29
Halo Infinite’s next free update, Content Update 29 (“CU29”) arrives on January 30, bringing a new Arena map, a Covenant object palette and new Forge features, a new armor core and customization rewards, and the first of three free Operations—starting with the Halo Wars-themed “Spirit of Fire.”
Stay tuned to Halo Waypoint in the coming days as we’ll take a closer look at some of the key components of this latest update:
- MAP OVERVIEW – Take a guided tour of Illusion, the new Arena map coming in CU29
- FORGE OVERVIEW – Learn more about the new features and improvements coming to Forge, including the Covenant palette, Mode Creator, and more
- CUSTOMIZATION OVERVIEW – Get a closer look at the Mark IV Armor Core, customization improvements, and upcoming Operations
Looking further ahead, we also confirmed several player-requested features in active development including “Match Composer” functionality for matchmaking, new ways to earn past customization content, updated networking model, and a new anti-cheat initiative.
We’ll have plenty more to share on these fronts as they get nearer to release but for now, we’re excited to let the team cook and look forward to these marquee updates landing later this year.
HCS 2024
Year three of HCS is upon us! New events, ranked updates, and new team cosmetics are on the horizon, and you can get the full scoop via the latest HCS blog.
Stay tuned to Halo.gg and be sure to follow @HCS for the latest competitive Halo news.
That’s all for now, but we’re excited to have much more to share with you next week as we get closer to the release of CU29 on January 30!
Until then, may you have sweet dreams of Mjolnir Mark IV armor...
Legendary Firefight: King of the Hill
Drop into Legendary Firefight: King of the Hill today!
#HaloReckoning
COMMUNITY CARTOGRAPHY 024
Welcome back to Forge Features, where we highlight a selection of the latest and greatest community-made maps and experiences that you can download and play in Halo Infinite.
Let’s take a look at what you’ve been cooking...
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THE HALO RPG
Credits: RedNomster
Bookmark: MAP | MODE
Red Nomster has made a turn-based tabletop game using Halo Infinite’s Forge... yes, you read that right.
Through the mark system and approximately 1400 scripting nodes, up to 8 players (4v4 max, 2v2 recommended, 1v1 if you want to settle things in a gentlemanly fashion) can experience Halo Infinite as they never have before.
Check out RedNomster's video on the making of this experience, and don't forget to learn the four very straightforward rules of how to play:
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ASSAULT ON THE CONTROL ROOM
Credits: Nikos4476, xXBarthXx, HMkiller05
Bookmark: PART 1 | PART 2
Mode: Easy | Normal | Heroic | Legendary
We knew that Halo Infinite’s Forge would be able to create some truly jaw-dropping stuff, and that the ambitions of community cartographers would push the boundaries of what even we believed possible... and here’s another such example, as the entire Halo: CE mission Assault on the Control Room has been remade.
Split into two parts, this is the mission just as you remember it—eerie, repeating Forerunner corridors, bridges over vast mountainous walls, vast snowy landscapes, Scorpion tank carnage... it’s all been recreated down to the smallest detail in enemy encounters.
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INFINITY DOWN
Credits: Sams S033
Bookmark: MAP
Mode: Use with Firefight: King of the Hill
At the start of Halo Infinite's campaign, the UNSC Infinity is ambushed by the Banished at Zeta Halo. Take the fight to the hangar bay and capture the hills in order to reclaim humanity's flagship from the alien invaders.
(Of course, we all know how successfully that goes!)
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HALO HILLS
Credits: IcyAsh3956
Bookmark: MAP | MODE
I must admit that my jaw dropped as I explored this map. It just kept going... and going... and then there was another level above, and then that kept on going...
With battlecruisers hanging in the skies overhead, Banished forces dropping into the caverns below to guard a sunlit Forerunner beam tower, and multiple flags to capture, this is the perfect staging ground for some PvPvE CTF action.
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TETHER
Credits: SPiriTBomb808
Bookmark: MAP
The orbital tether is something of an iconic element of the Halo universe, though all of their most memorable moments are when they collapse—seeing it fall in Halo 3: ODST, its structural skeleton scattered over the African plains as you head to Voi in Halo 3, and who could forget that harrowing sequence at the turning point of Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn.
This tether, though, remains intact. In this sprawling complex built around the space elevator, you can unleash some BTB chaos with your friends.
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That'll wrap us up for this issue—the first of many more to come over the course of this year.
The boundless creativity of the Forge community thrills, energizes, and quite frankly terrifies us as we bear witness to the imaginative ways this tool can be used to create new and entirely unexpected experiences in Halo.
Keep on keepin' on!
Charred Bronze Armor Bundle | Ramblin' Hog Emblem Suite
Along with the Charred Bronze armor coating, you'll get the Sticks and Stones weapon charm and the Kaleidovolt emblem suite.
Today we salute you, Mister Terrible Warthog Driver!
Complete all of your Weekly Challenges and the Ultimate Challenge to earn this week’s Ultimate Reward – the Ramblin' Hog emblem suite.
A new Ultimate Reward will become available every week, so be sure to keep an eye on your Challenges and take advantage of these free rewards.
Squire Bundle | Winterslash Flame Armor Coating
Grab the Squire bundle today to become the MIRAGE IIC armor-bearer for:
- Squire helmet
- Squire Visorplate helmet attachment
- SAP/STE-MODEL 2 shoulders
- TAC/Emerson M-Rig chest attachment
- UA/Type MNT kneepads
- Utility Belt hip attachment
- Forerunner Assault visor
- Power Struggle armor coating
Stop horsing around and head to the Shop today!
Ah, the cold air of winter and the roaring fire of an M7057...
Complete all of your Weekly Challenges and the Ultimate Challenge to earn this week’s Ultimate Reward – the Winterslash Flame armor coating.
A new Ultimate Reward will become available every week, so be sure to keep an eye on your Challenges and take advantage of these free rewards.
Winter Contingency III
From December 19 through January 30, you’ll have a free 20-tier Operation Pass to complete allowing you to unlock brand new holiday-themed customization. ❄️
Forge Features
If you’re looking for a place to start, I got you – let’s check some out together!
Maps
WAKA WAKA
Mode Download
Credits: McElgun
This infection map/mode combo is just the right amount of neon RGB for all gamers. There’s cubbies of weapons for survivors and lots of twists and turns for zombies to hide around. Keep your wits about you as you skulk around in the dark!
Duck Hunt Minecraft
Mode Download
Credits: Kirby Oofss
It’s the classic "get-from-point-A-to-point-B-while-not-being-sniped" mode with a blocky twist. Each level brings a new challenge in your path and it’s the cat and mouse game of sliding, running, jumping, and dodging to get to the end for a brief moment of respite before continuing through the maze. Good luck!
Goose Halo
Mode Download
Credits: ArturBloodshot, Hitbox Unknown
The classic “Halo on Halo” returns in Halo Infinite. (Does that make it Halo on Halo on Halo? Say that three times fast.) You, a Mongoose, and your driving skills vs the eagle-eyed sharpshooter above.
Arctic Point | Firefight Ops
Modes: Easy | Medium | Hard
Credits: UneeQ TV, Mr Greencastle, Azwilko1997, Artifice7285
Jump into Arctic Point and take on the enemy as you progress through this custom campaign firefight. How long can you survive the onslaught? If it's too easy, try amping up the difficulty and dig in!
Campaign Op: Snow Spear
Mode: Heroic | Mythic
Credits: seanonix
Squad up and take on the enemy in this custom campaign level! Battle Bassus, juke with Jega, and more as you try to survive and make it to the end.
Tutorial Training
‘Tis the season and you can just call Ducain23 Santa Forge because he’s back with yet another tutorial for us! If you want to properly winter-ize your maps but aren’t sure how to go about it, he’s got you covered and you'll be decking the halls in no time!
Send Nodes
/u/Bricklemore says “no one asked for this” but after checking it out, this Node Anatomy 101 is something I think a lot of aspiring Forgers will certainly appreciate. Nodes can be confusing and this helpful diagram breaks it down into smaller, more manageable chunks.
That’s a wrap on Forge Features for the year! We’ll be back with more next year but in the meantime, play hard, win well. Happy Halodays!